Chinese

Pu-er Teas

BAI BING CHA – WHITE PU-ER
Sheng (Raw) Pu-er

Our interest for Bai (“white”) pu-er grew during our 2007 visit to China, where we sampled many quality white pu-ers and enjoyed their smooth, inviting, and slightly sweet flavor. White pu-er is “raw” like green pu-er, but mostly tips are used to make it and the leaves are not allowed to wither as long as for green pu-er. It’s a bit more earthy than our Bai Mu Dan white tea with a flavor reminiscent of Darjeeling.

QING TUO CHA – GREEN PU-ER
Sheng (Raw) Pu-er

This Qing Tuo (“green nest”) pu-er is a combination of wild tea and cultivated tea. One can taste in each cup the softer herbal flavors of wild tea within the astringent and more pungent layers of cultivated tea. Perhaps, if lucky, one might even catch the aroma of the Xishuangbanna hills at sunrise, or the feeling of seeing The King of Tea Trees, standing proud at 1700 years old, deep in the Yunnan jungles.

LAO SHU BING CHA – WILD TREE PU-ER
Sheng (Raw) Pu-er

Marked by an abundance of wild or old (“lao”) tree (“shu”) leaves, the newly harvested leaves and buds are taken from the ancient forests and left to wither and dry in the sun on bamboo mats. The leaves are then steamed before they are pressed into cakes. Experiencing the sweet- and-sour amber brew of Lao Shu Bing Cha is like taking a stroll through the old tea trees of the jungle—humbling and invigorating all at once.

MISTY PEAK PU-ER CHA – LOOSE PU-ER
Sheng (Raw) Pu-er

This amazingly smooth, raw loose-leaf pu-er was added to our offerings in the fall of 2015. It is direct-sourced from one family and one farm from Misty Peak Teas. Produced exclusively from old tea tree leaves giving it a sweet and smooth flavor without a hint of bitterness.

MENG HAI TUO CHA – DARK PU-ER NEST
Shou (Ripe) Pu-er

This nest variety is produced in Meng Hai County in Yunnan Province and is one of our darker, ruddier pu-ers. It has a strong earthy and slightly astringent flavor.

CHI TSE BING CHA – DARK PU-ER
Shou (Ripe) Pu-er

Chi Tse Bing Cha or “Seven Piece Cake Tea” gets its name from the packing process: Seven cakes of tea are stacked on top of each other and wrapped up in bamboo leaves. This variety is particularly quenching and has a deep, earthy flavor.

ZHUAN CHA – DARK PU-ER
Shou (Ripe) Pu-er Brick

This dense brick pu-er offers notes of bittersweet chocolate which provides a unique twist on the traditional more earthy taste and aroma of shou pu-ers.

CHA TOU – PU-ER NUGGETS
Shou (Ripe) Pu-er Nuggets

Cha Tou means “Tea Head.” These pu-er nuggets are what’s left over, the “head and tail” from the main “body” of ripe pu-er that is composted to expedite the fermentation process in fermentation rooms. These pu-er nuggets stick to the cement floor under the piles of pu-er tea leaves that are left to ferment for up to two months. This tea is sweet with complex nuances of flavor due to it being “double fermented” at the bottom of the tea layers, and offers seemingly endless infusions.

BAMBOO PU-ER
Shou (Ripe) Pu-er

Traditional “ripe” pu-er packed into the hollow center of bamboo and then roasted over an open fire giving it a sweet and smooth flavor. Legend has it that it is a favorite of panda bears in the Yunnan jungles!

PU-ER CHA – LOOSE LEAF
Shou (Ripe) Pu-er

We offer this loose-leaf variety from the province of Yunnan
as an unusual delicacy. Long, dark-brown leaves with a luster of gray gather in the teapot to produce a garnet colored brew that turns as black as coffee with prolonged steeping. With a rich aroma of old temples, its distinctive taste is chthonic and deep, like holy soil.

MANDARIN PU-ER
Shou (Ripe) Pu-er Scented

Traditional “ripe” pu-er cha packed into mandarin rinds and stored so as to take on allure of citrus. This delicious citrus-scented pu-er gives the sensation of being enfolded in a warm shell of deeply nourishing satisfaction.

CHRYSANTHEMUM PU-ER

This is a traditional pairing of dark, earthy pu-er with the subtly sweet and floral chrysanthemum. These two together soften the heavier pu-er and strengthen the light flower. A nice compliment to a light meal or dessert.

GINGER PU-ER

A spicy twist on traditional pu-er tea! This is the ultimate digestive infusion, suitable for after a meal or to warm and revitalize the body.

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